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It wasn’t until last month when I went for my wedding make up trial that I considered a skin care routine for my wedding day – if I’m honest it had not even crossed my mind until then. Shamefully my make up artist could tell straight away that I didn’t look after my skin as much as I should. Working night shifts I have to admit that I was guilty of dragging myself straight to bed after work without taking off my make up so I couldn’t deny it however, I decided to do something about it there and then. It was recommended that for my wedding day I switch to Dermalogica skin care products in order to get my skin into tip top shape and I have to admit that I am now a Dermalogica convert! Here we have the lovely Cara from Berkshire based beauty salon, The Face Beauty, to give all of you brides to be some top tips for amazing wedding day skin…

You have the venue booked, the cake has been chosen, Auntie Gladys has her new hat and you have found THE dress. You have everything planned, but have you remembered to plan your perfect wedding day skin? Let’s be honest, your skin was probably not at the top of the list. But just like everything else, you need to plan in flawless skin. Unless you are very lucky, it won’t just happen by itself. Fear not though, by following just a few simple steps you can give your skin the best chance of behaving beautifully on your big day.

Find out what your skin needs

One of the most important steps to achieving flawless skin at any time is to work out what your skin needs. This means really understanding your own individual skin. There is little point wasting money on products which have worked for other people if they are not right for your own skin type. The skin experts behind the Dermalogica brand recognise this and all Dermalogica salons offer a free Face Mapping analysis which takes a detailed look at your skin and leaves you with a very clear understanding of the sorts of products best suited to you. To find out if there is a Dermalogica salon near you, click here.

Start early

When it comes to your wedding day skin care routine you can’t start early enough. Especially if you suffer from any specific complaints such as breakouts, dry flaky skin, premature aging, you should start attending to your skin 6-12 months prior to the big day. If you are lucky enough to have good skin normally, you could start your wedding day regime 6-8 weeks before.

Three basic steps

If you are not already in the habit of cleansing, toning and moisturising day and night, it is essential that you adopt this discipline in the run up to your wedding (using products which are sympathetic to your individual skin). This will ensure your skin is in good health by the time your big day arrives and healthy skin is glowing skin. Getting the basics right and ensuring good skin health is important as this will increase your skin’s ability to fight off any attacks in the run up to the wedding from things such as stress, lack of sleep, too much alcohol on your hen night…!

A little extra care and attention

If you want truly glowing skin on your wedding day, it is a good idea to go beyond the basics. Exfoliation is a key aid to glowing skin so choose an exfoliator suitable for your skin type and gently exfoliate 2-3 times a week. This will remove any dead skin cells and stop your skin from looking dull. A face masque applied 1-2 times a week will also give your skin an added boost. Again it’s vital to choose a masque that compliments your skin so, if you have oily skin, go for something like clay which will balance out oil production. If your skin tends to be dry, opt for a nourishing masque to smooth and hydrate.

Get your diet in check

We all know the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. When it comes to skin care though, there are some super heroes which are guaranteed to enhance the appearance of your skin. You should try to incorporate at least one of the following into your diet every day:

Berries, broccoli, spinach, papaya: are all great sources of antioxidants which destroy free radicals and keep skin looking plump and youthful.

Water: and plenty of it is essential for supple, hydrated and youthful-looking, clear skin.

Last minute emergencies!

So you’ve done everything you can to get your skin in shape for your wedding and yet the unthinkable happens and you wake up on the most important day of your life with a skin care emergency. Don’t panic! There are some handy tips to help you overcome any last minute stresses:

Spots: the stress of your big day looming can make your skin more prone to breakouts. Make sure you have a good quality aloe vera gel to hand just in case. You can get this from most health food shops, but look for one that is 100% aloe vera. At the first sign of a blemish apply the gel regularly. This will dry the spot quickly and reduce any redness.

Dark circles and puffy eyes: the best way to avoid waking up on the morning of your wedding with dark circles or puffy eyes is to ensure you are well rested. If you can, have early nights and a full night’s sleep in the 3 nights leading up to the big day. If you do wake up not looking your best though, relax for a few minutes with cool slices of cucumber over your eyes. Exercise will also help get the blood flowing and reduce the appearance of dark circles or bags under the eyes so remove the cucumber and get active.

Cold sores: aarrggh every brides nightmare! Cold sores can be triggered by stress so, if you are a sufferer, be prepared for one to raise its ugly head right at the wrong moment. Make sure you have your normal treatment to hand and also invest in some of the cold sore patches. These can be worn under your wedding day make-up and, with a bit of clever concealing, they and the cold sore will be barely visible.

Cheat: if you know you are prone to skin nightmares, you might want to think about hiring a photographer who is able to use air-brushing techniques. Air-brushing is widely available these days and even if your skin isn’t 100% perfect on the actual day, all evidence can be removed from the photos!

So there you have it, our top tips for achieving flawless wedding day skin. Have it planned, stick to a good routine, be prepared for emergencies and your skin will not let you down!

I have been using the ultra calming cleanser, multi active toning mist (that feels fab on your face!) and the active moist moisturiser. I have also been applying the Medi Bac clearing mattifier in a morning under my make up which is amazing at eliminating shine throughout the day. It is not a cheap skin care routine by any stretch of the imagination but it is definitely worth the money and having oily skin that is sometimes difficult to control, I will carry on using Dermalogica long after my wedding day. My skin has genuinely never felt this great! (Believe it or not I am not getting paid to say this! ;))

A big big thank you to Cara at The Face Beauty for such a great, informative post – beautiful skin is a must for all brides to be!

Here we have a bride to be, Claire, a lovely lady who is getting married at a gorgeous Spanish DIY wedding the week before Tom and I. It has been a pleasure to be able to chat with someone at the same planning stage as us, to not only share our excitement but also support when times have been stressful. It’s not long now Claire, you’re on the final stretch with a fabulous end in sight!

How did you meet and when did you know he was ‘the one?’

We are both Irish but met on the Isle of Man! Maurice was there after finishing university and I was there working on the ferry. We first bumped into each other in 2000 but one of us was already attached so nothing happened. We again met in 2002 and the same person was still attached, however after speaking quite a bit on the phone we realised that we needed to be together and so once we were both unattached we got straight together. I realised after about a year (just after we moved in together) that he was the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and so the waiting game began!

Was the proposal everything you’d dreamed it would be?

We had been together 8.5 years before the proposal finally came! We had spoke at length about getting married and we both knew that we wanted that but life kind of got a little in the way and the time was never ‘quite’ right. We were on holiday in USA at the time and I can remember us always saying that this was a holiday of a lifetime but I never expected a proposal. We were in the Grand Canyon after taking a helicopter trip and were standing on the base just looking up and admiring the view when I thought ‘ where did he go?’ as I turned round he was on his knee and asked me to marry him. I was so shocked but did remember to say yes! I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal, the boy did good!

When and where is the big day?

The big day is in around 5 short weeks! On the 21st October and will be held in Marbella, Spain. We always agreed since getting together that we wanted our wedding to be abroad and I’m pleased to say it is.

Do you have a style in mind for your wedding?

I wouldn’t say that we have an exact style in mind, we just want it to be fun, relaxed and hopefully a little bit sunny. Our colour scheme is Purple and creams with hearts for good measure.

Are you having Bridesmaids?

I have decided to only have one adult bridesmaid and 3 flowergirls. All of which are our family.

What have you enjoyed the most about wedding planning?

There has been so much that I have enjoyed about planning the wedding, I suppose the nice stuff jumps out first like picking the colour schemes, dresses and rings. I have made all of our wedding stationary and although some parts of this have been quite difficult now it is finished I would say that I really enjoyed doing it all and am so pleased to think that they were all made by me. I have also enjoyed picking our church and venue which meant that we got two weekends in Spain!

Have you encountered any problems?

Our main problem has been the logistics of planning our wedding in Spain. At first it seems like a great idea but sometimes, language barriers and general differences in traditions can cause a few minor problems, Also Spain is a lot more relaxed than us so never rely on a quick response from anyone would be my mantra. Also figuring out how to get everything and everyone there has caused a few headaches.

Have you discovered the Dress?

Yes, Yes, Yes! Although it is not what I went shopping for. I know that is what you hear from the already married all the time but I never thought that would be me. I had a very specific style in mind and tried on quite a few like that, but a shop that I went into didn’t have any in that style and instead of wasting my appointment I tried on a few that she had. As soon as I tried it on I realised that this was it, I bought it there and then.

What are your hopes for the future as Mr & Mrs?

I hope that we grow old together, that we can always rely on each other and that we never forget how we both felt when we decided to get married. He is the love of my life and I wouldn’t change a thing about him, the one thing that I would like to do for him is to make him a Dad and I really hope we can achieve this in the near future.

Do you have any advice for other future brides?

Don’t be afraid to do things a little bit differently if that is what you want. You can have your wedding abroad and people will come if they want to share the day with you. Relax and enjoy the wedding planning but don’t let it take over your life completely. One thing we have made sure to do is have regular date nights where the wedding is not on the agenda!

I have been blogging about my journey though planning a DIY wedding abroad here:

Very impressed with Maurice’s proposal, how romantic! You can also follow Claire’s final wedding adventures on Twitter here. I’d like to say thank you for keeping me sane throughout everything and I absolutely cannot wait to see pics from your big day, it’s going to be beautiful!